Chapter 148: Do Not Easily Entangle Yourself with Just Anyone

Liang Qingxuan’s voice was remarkably pleasant. Even from outside the door, one could tell it was an exceptionally gentle and pure voice, and hearing it in person made one feel all the more refreshed, melodious, and lingering.

Li Baixiu offered a faint smile, his broad chest exposed and completely unshielded. "I remember you are the producer's backup choice for the female lead. Yet you still had to come knock on my door in person. What, does your director feel the investment is insufficient?"

Liang Qingxuan forced a bitter smile. "With our status, how could we possibly have the luxury of refusing? Being called a backup for the female lead is nothing more than doing what the real female lead is unwilling to do. When the time comes, they'll just casually announce a last-minute replacement, and even the investors won't be able to find fault with it."

"You seem somewhat resentful."

"Forgive me, President Li, I spoke out of turn."

Liang Qingxuan lowered her head, strands of hair cascading over her shoulders. From a profile angle, there was a fleeting moment of vulnerability that caused Li Baixiu's mind to momentarily wander.

That single, brief instant of distraction made his vigilance spike instantly.

This person was entirely tailored to his preferences. How could there possibly be such a coincidence in this world, that even a minor celebrity arranged to climb into his bed happened to be precisely his preferred type?

On guard and cautious, he asked, "The person who sent you here didn't say anything else?"

Liang Qingxuan stole a glance upward at him, then hastily lowered her head again. "President Ma told me... to take good care of you. If you have any needs... I..."

Having finished, as if having made some monumental decision, she turned her entire body toward Li Baixiu and moved as though to squat and kneel down.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Baixiu caught her, pulled her firmly onto his lap, and settled her securely there.

"There are plenty of people who want to take care of me. What makes you so special? What made President Ma so sure that I would want you?"

With that, his fingers gently brushed past Liang Qingxuan’s temple, tidying away the stray locks of hair, and seemingly unintentionally grazed her delicate, dainty earlobe.

Liang Qingxuan’s face flushed crimson instantly, and she sat on Li Baixiu’s lap as though sitting on pins and needles.

"President Ma said... said that since you didn't like the previous ones, you would definitely like my style. He gave me a lot of money, along with certain conditions. We... signed a bet-on agreement."

"What kind of bet-on agreement? Tell me more."

Liang Qingxuan stammered, "It's... if I can win the favor of any investor... then... then I'll be cast as the female lead in the next drama... and if I can make enough money for him within a year, he'll grant me my freedom. Our contract will be automatically dissolved. Otherwise, that contract will be... extended by fifteen years..."

"What kind of contract?"

Li Baixiu’s voice was dead low, laced with a trace of impatience.

He was exhausted and sleepy right now, yet he still had to force himself to muster the energy to deal with such a delicate, pampered young woman—it was truly a headache.

Gathering her courage, Liang Qingxuan said, "It is... an unequal labor contract. I have no way to secure my basic interests within the company."

Li Baixiu roughly understood the situation.

Many companies used such contracts to bind artists, profiting from the artists' breach-of-contract penalties. Yet many artists, plagued by financial desperation, had no choice but to enter this dead end and become playthings for high society.

"I'm not particularly interested in how President Ma treated you. As for you, however, you truly do suit my tastes. Since it's been delivered right to my doorstep, wouldn't it be too disrespectful to President Ma if I didn't accept?"

Liang Qingxuan’s eyes widened in shock. Just moments ago, she had thought Li Baixiu might be a man of upright character, never expecting his true nature to be exposed in mere minutes.

One of Li Baixiu’s hands reached beneath Liang Qingxuan’s clothes from behind, kneading her distinct, bony spine, and he said with a hint of menace, "How many bosses have you followed before?"

Liang Qingxuan shrank back, shaking her head repeatedly.

"I... I've never followed anyone."

"What about a boyfriend?"

"Never had one..."

Li Baixiu grabbed her hand and tossed her directly onto the single sofa nearby.

Before Liang Qingxuan could recover, her chin struck the hard back of the sofa, and a red mark instantly bloomed on her skin.

"A virgin?" Li Baixiu asked, practically through gritted teeth.

Frightened half to death by the murderous glint erupting from his eyes, Liang Qingxuan hesitated for a long time before nodding.

Li Baixiu straightened up and adjusted his exposed collar.

"I don't sleep with inexperienced ones; it's too much trouble. Sit in the living room and don't go anywhere. Leave promptly at ten in the morning. Understand?"

Knowing she had successfully escaped disaster, Liang Qingxuan nodded hastily and sat quietly on the sofa.

Li Baixiu strode forward and entered the bedroom.

The moment the door clicked shut, Liang Qingxuan’s personal information was sent to his phone.

Taking advantage of the moment earlier when she wasn't paying attention, he had urged the police to run a background check. As expected of police officers on 24-hour standby, their efficiency was truly extraordinary.

He climbed onto the bed while flipping through the documents.

"She really wasn't lying. Short on money, never been in a relationship... Tingting Mansion... Saying too much might startle the snake in the grass; I'll string her along for a bit and slowly look for an opportunity."

Li Baixiu was not a particularly lustful person. Even with a few past experiences, he never found the act all that captivating.

He had only wanted to scare her earlier, figuring that someone easily frightened might spill more information.

He hadn't expected the opponent to counterattack and eliminate him with a basic attack.

Good grief.

A virgin in the entertainment industry.

If she wasn't being hidden away with malicious intent by someone, she was holding out for a higher price to squeeze out greater benefits.

It was terrifying.

There are no good people in the entertainment industry; the outside world is truly terrifying. He felt like running home to find his mother.

Forget it, his mother was probably the last person who wanted to see him right now; he'd better seek out his sister for peace of mind.

Amidst these wandering thoughts, sleepiness gradually deepened. The next time he opened his eyes, it was because of a phone call from the hotel asking whether he wished to extend his stay.

Li Baixiu stood in the sunlight and let out a long stretch.

Liang Qingxuan had already left—very punctually. She hadn't caused him any trouble.

He hurriedly packed his things; the appointed time with the professor was running out.

Just as he stepped out of the hotel lobby and waited two minutes for his driver to pull up, he caught sight of a very familiar figure.

Watching that person emerge from the hotel and get into a car, Li Baixiu irritably rubbed his nose.

Why could he run into annoying people no matter where he went?

...

Jiang Zao stood in the pavilion in the backyard, watching the workers complete the final touches of the courtyard construction.

Before leaving, Tan Wenyi had entrusted the Tingshan courtyard project to her most trusted deputy.

Perhaps due to being too busy, the new client was unable to visit the construction site to supervise as frequently as Tan Wenyi had.

However, little work remained, and everything would wrap up entirely in another day or two.

Looking at the backyard, which had now taken on its complete form, Jiang Zao felt a great sense of achievement.

After taking a few sips of fruit tea, the sound of howling ghosts and howling wolves echoed from behind her.

"Sis! Sis, save me! I'm about to be swallowed alive!"

Jiang Zao didn't move, rolling her eyes right where she stood.

Ever since he began haunting the entertainment industry, Li Baixiu had seemed cheat-code enabled—wildly handsome, supremely cool, arrogant, domineering, and blazing a trail wherever he walked.

Every now and then, triumphant reports would pour in, and he would strut around full of hubris, practically begging people to lavish praise on him.

She was already used to it.